Ellen Melchionni Joins Merchants Insurance Group Board of Directors
Merchants Insurance Group is pleased to announce that Ellen D. Melchionni has joined its Board of Directors, effective January 2026.
Melchionni recently retired following a distinguished 30-plus-year career in the insurance industry, with experience spanning public policy, government relations, and association management. Prior to retirement, she served as president of the New York Insurance Association (NYIA), a statewide trade association representing the property and casualty industry. She held the position from 2008 through 2025, following 13 years as the vice president and three years as a legislative analyst. As president, Melchionni was responsible for overseeing the strategic and operational functions of the association and serving as its primary spokesperson.
Prior to joining NYIA, Melchionni worked for both the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, serving a combined 10 years in leadership offices.
Throughout her career, she regularly testified at legislative hearings and worked with regulators and policymakers on issues affecting the insurance industry. Melchionni has also served in numerous industry and charitable leadership roles, including president of the New York Insurance Scholarship Foundation, president and director of the New York Alliance Against Insurance Fraud, and board member of the Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation’s Northeast Division. She has served on the National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies Advisory Council and the Board of Directors for Donate Life New York State. In 2025, she also joined the Board of Directors of Greater New York Insurance Companies.
She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from the University at Albany, where she graduated cum laude, and an associate degree from Alfred State College. She maintained the Certified Association Executive (CAE) designation for more than two decades and is a graduate of the Empire State Society of Association Executives’ Association Leadership Academy and the Albany County Chamber of Commerce Capital Leadership Program.
